BRANDS

Frederique Constant Classics Art of Porcelain – The Beauty of Porcelain and the Spirit of Olden Times

With its new timekeeper dubbed Art of Porcelain, Frederique Constant has created a very stylish piece that is intended to those watch aficionados who enjoy classically designed timekeepers. Its most attractive feature is certainly a lovely white dial made of porcelain enamel. In the process of creation of the piece, the watchmaker worked together with prestigious Hungarian house Zsolnay Porcelain Manufacture which supplied hand-made shiny white dials to all of the models from the 188-piece limited series. Frederique Constant Classics Art of Porcelain is made with a modestly sized steel housing and it is available at the price of around $2,200.

The new timekeeper from the Classics collection has a strong overall classical, elegant and restrained design. This is above all visible in its lovely looking dial made of porcelain which gives it a rather refined appearance. The creation of the glossy white dial made of porcelain is certainly not an easy task, so the watchmaker turned to the prestigious name in the field, Zsolnay Porcelaine Manufacture from the Hungarian town of Pecs. It is a factory with a long tradition which was originally opened in the mid-19th century by Miklos Zsolnay. His son Vilmos later took over the company and brought it even more fame and recognition. After the Grand Prix at the 1878 World Fair in Paris, the brand was known around the globe. As Frederique Constant states, the tradition of the Zsolnay name in the combination with the work of its experts is a sure guarantee that the original color of the dial will last for several decades.

Zsolnay Porcelaine Manufacture

As for the procedure in which the porcelain is created, it should be said that the ceramic material needs to be heated in a kiln and exposed to temperatures between 2,200 and 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat leads to the process of vitrification in which the mineral mullite is formed. Finally, the end result is a surface with pronounced strength and resilience and, which is even more important, captivating translucence.

This shiny white surface is used for the dial of the newcomer. Its traditional spirit is further enhanced with the addition of more classically-themed elements on its subdued face. The upmost periphery includes minute markers, while the flange is filled with slim painted Roman numerals. There are two featured central hands which are also of a classical teardrop shape, as it could be expected in a watch which stems from the Classics collection. The only remaining details on the porcelain dial are the name of the brand and its location slightly above the dial, as well as inscriptions that state that the watch has a hand-made porcelain enamel dial and that it ticks with the help of a self-winding movement.

Frederique Constant Classics Art of Porcelain Watch FC-302P4S6

Speaking of the movement, it should be said that it is caliber FC-302, a self-winding movement with 25 jewels. It operates at the frequency of 28,800 vph and includes the power storage that lasts for around 42 hours. It is an out-sourced movement which in a way diminishes its horological value, but it also simultaneously keeps the price a bit lower and enables even those who are not willing to pay too much to own a timekeeper with such a lovely looking and distinguished dial. Another nice touch is the fact that the functioning of the supported automatic caliber can be viewed through a see-through section on the case-back.

Just like the opening on the rear side, the crystal of Frederique Constant Classics Art of Porcelain watch is also made of sapphire. The crystal is surrounded with a fixed bezel and as the rest of the housing it is made of stainless steel. The restrained spirit of the newcomer is once again reflected in the size of the piece, since the diameter of the watch stretches to 40 mm. The three-part case is water resistant to 30 meters.

The newcomer with the porcelain dial is coupled with a black crocodile leather strap which locks with a tang-type buckle. The Genevese watchmaker has set the price of its watch with the reference number FC-302P4S6 at exactly 2,100 CHF.